1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ground tie and more particularly to an inexpensive flexible electrically conductive strip for connecting a shield of a shielded cable to a ground terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is often a need to ground the shield of a shielded electrical cable. Typically this is done by removing an outer insulative cover to expose the shield, then cutting or splitting the tubular shield in a longitudinal direction and attaching an electrically conductive clip to one of the cut portions or flaps of the shield. The shield typically is very thin and relatively delicate aluminum so that the already cut shield is prone to tear during handling.
One existing ground device consists of a braided strap which is ultrasonically welded at one end to an electrically conductive tube. The other end may be connected to a clip where the clip is constructed to be crimped onto one of the flaps of the shield.
There are a number of drawbacks to this device and the manner in which it is attached to the shield. First, the grounding device is relatively expensive since it is constructed of three different elements which must be connected together. Also, as mentioned, the manner of connection to the shield is less than ideal because there is a need to cut the shield thereby creating a location of high stress which will fail should a sufficient pulling force be applied to the shield. Another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,532. There, a device is disclosed which clamps to the cable shield. While the clamp lessens the stress on the cable shield when compared to a cut, the device is relatively expensive and relatively large. It is also cumbersome in use.